Tuesday, 17 January 2012

Sometimes an image or a word says more
than an action. Sometimes things cannot be expressed as bluntly because
of fear and stigma.

Growing up, we were taught that society is
where men and women get married, and that's how a relationship works.
But at least 10% of the total population of a country belongs to the
non-normative gender and sexuality.

There is a British colonial
law, penal code 377, which prohibits sexual relations between people of
the same sex, claiming they are "against the order of nature". The law
has been repealed in the UK. While it is not enforced, it still exists
in Bangladesh, and it is difficult to speak out in favour of human
rights because of it.

The gay community in Bangladesh is
generally underground and being out in public is uncommon. There is a
culture of collective denial of the existence of the gay in Bangladesh -
a fact attributable to social conservatism. Stigmatization and taboo
have made the gay community, in particular, a vulnerable community.
Unable to cope with social conditioning, they try to redefine a way of
coherence.

This video project speaks on behalf of the significant
10% of Bangladeshi population who are almost invisible to the wider
society. The individual interviews tells the story of individual
longing, belief, a countless of emotions and a silent resilience.

With
this work, our intention was to begin a debate around this subject. We
want to ask questions as to why gay community is so stigmatized, and why
there is this culture of collective denial. We felt it is important to
show the humane aspects of the gay community. At the same time, we want
to show how the gay community challenge the compulsory hetero-normative
ideals upon which our conservative society is based.